The media has widely reported the recent errors and problems in the execution of two convicted and sentenced men. I suspect this will bring about a new examination of the death penalty in the United States. Citizens of Washington have repeatedly voted to have the death penalty, but our courts have repeatedly struck down death […]

The Washington State Court of Appeals is divided into three divisions. The divisions are separated geographically; one in the west, one in the central and one in the east part of the state. As you might expect, the courts somewhat reflect the political leanings of the geographical areas they cover. The court in the west […]

In the past several weeks there have been several difficult neighbor against neighbor disputes that seem to be ramping up. Perhaps the rise in temperature as summer comes on makes the temper of people rise as well, but the Stevens County Sheriff’s Deputies have been called out to make repeated calls at several locations. The […]

Detectives of the Stevens County Sheriff’s office have arrested two young men who are responsible for at least 20 burglaries across three counties and recovered tens of thousands of dollars worth of stolen property.  The young men are over 18 years old and face multiple charges for these thefts. As part of the investigation, a […]

On October 16, 2013, some folks in northern Stevens County returned from vacation to discover that their home had been ransacked. They discovered that items of personal property with a value in excess of $5,000 had been taken.  Among the stolen items were firearms, tools and a tractor Law enforcement officers were able to follow […]

There are times that one of the parties to a criminal case, either the state or the defendant, becomes of the opinion that the party cannot get a fair trial before the judge hearing the case.  There is a way to get the case assigned to another judge.  The method is to file an affidavit […]

The media has reported the recent errors and problems in the execution of a convicted man in Oklahoma.   I suspect this will bring about a new examination of the death penalty in the United States.   Twice in the past week, I was asked my views of the death penalty. I have been involved in death […]

Recently it was reported in the media that a man who is on trial in Kansas for murder, would be permitted to hide a tattoo that he has on his neck.  The tattoo spells MURDER backwards.  The concern was that if the jury saw this tattoo that they might be prejudiced against the defendant and […]

The dust has settled at the Legislative session in Olympia.  There have been  some changes made in important criminal law areas, but Governor Inslee vetoed some of the items passed by the legislature. This is a brief summary of some of the changes in criminal law that have been passed by the legislature and signed […]

There has been an important change in the way Washington law treats the most serious juvenile offenders.  The change in the law was the result of a recent decision by the U. S. Supreme Court in a case called Miller vs. Alabama.  That decision ruled that mandatory automatic life sentences for juveniles convicted of the […]